Far too many people’s skills are being wasted and we are not making the most of migration or helping people integrate. NIACE today calls for urgent action to unlock the skills of migrants and UK residents to ensure we meet the needs of business and create greater community cohesion.

Responding to today’s analysis from the Association of Colleges on the prospects for the future for adult education, David Hughes, NIACE Chief Executive, said:

"This is a very useful analysis of the learning opportunities which are being lost to people and to the economy. Over 1 million opportunities have disappeared in funding cuts since 2010 and the AoC rightly sets out that more cuts means even fewer opportunities.

A guide to tackle some of the myths, misconceptions and other issues about how well welfare-to-work programme providers and skills providers work together, has been published today by NIACE. The guide, developed by a sector-led group, will help ensure that welfare-to-work programme participants access the provision and gain the skills they need to get into work.

To help ensure that every apprentice has an excellent experience and that their Apprenticeship is a solid foundation for a vibrant and successful career, NIACE is, today, proposing the introduction of an Apprentice Charter. By awarding employers the Charter’s quality mark, it is hoped that the Apprenticeship programme will result in job outcomes, progression throughout careers, wage gains and mean all apprentices become more effective in the workforce.

The Apprentice Charter, one of NIACE’s six priority actions for the next Government, will:

The Commission notes and endorses the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education’s call for an apprenticeship charter, which would serve as a quality mark, awarded to employers who demonstrate commitment to high quality learning in apprenticeships and to future learning progression. The Commission supports the creation of a national quality standard, run along the lines of Investors in People.

Young people’s attitudes towards GCSE maths and English change once they realise how important the subjects and qualifications are to their future job and education prospects, according to new research published by NIACE today. The research also shows that if learners see how relevant these qualifications are to their everyday lives, find the subjects interesting and are taught in a supportive setting, then they are more likely to achieve better grades.

“There are one million fewer adults in our classrooms and workshops now than in 2010. That’s the reality for the country of the announcement today of the Adult Skills Budget. That’s one million people without access to an Apprenticeship and one million lost opportunities for people who want to work hard to improve their prospects for work and life.

Commenting on the publication of the House of Lords Select Committee on Digital Skills Report, 'Make or Break – the UK's Digital Future,' which endorsed NIACE's call for digital skills improvement to create a more inclusive, economically productive society, David Hughes, Chief Executive at NIACE said:

"I was pleased to see the report support the evidence I gave to the Select Committee. I was very clear that digital skills must be seen as the third plank of the basic skills that every citizen needs: literacy and language, numeracy and digital skills. Our Citizens’ Curriculum approach to basic skills includes these fundamental skills using a combination of formal, informal and non-formal learning"

NIACE has released its 2015 Budget submission to HM Treasury calling on the Chancellor to help people and businesses trapped by low level skills. Evidence from the OECD shows that the UK is declining in performance in literacy, numeracy and intermediate skills and languishing at 19th out of 34 countries for low skills.

With insufficient numbers of young people entering the workforce businesses will increasingly find it hard to find skilled staff. This makes the economic case for resources to be focussed on skills and support for people of all ages and for those already in the labour market.

NIACE, alongside BMG Research and CFE Research, have been commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills (BIS) to undertake the final evaluation of the FE Reform Programme, which will inform the direction of future developments in FE.

Prior research about the FE Reform Programme was undertaken in 2010 which explored providers’ plans for implementing changes. Further research on progress took place in 2013.

Britain's 5 million low paid workers deserve better support to boost their careers so they don’t become trapped in low pay, a new report finds. Today, NIACE launches ground-breaking proposals for a new National Advancement Service to help people, especially those earning 'below the living wage', boost their earnings and career prospects.

Living standards are set to be a key battleground for May’s General Election. Debate has focused on how to increase the National Minimum Wage and help people get on the housing ladder. But less attention has been focused on how to help people climb the career ladder.

Learning providers should be given the flexibility to offer a combination of units and qualifications to suit their learners. This is the headline finding of NIACE’s Unit Delivery Report Programme 2013/14 for the Skills Funding Agency which is published today.

As with previous research, this report details the range of benefits of unit delivery, including how it:

Reading for just 30 minutes a week can have a positive impact on your health and wellbeing. Research conducted for Galaxy Quick Reads - published today Thursday 5 February on the same day that six new Quick Reads are published - has found that reading can provide a wide variety of benefits such as improving health and self-esteem and reduces isolation.

The new partnership will provide a groundbreaking offer across the learning, skills and employment sectors, with a strong focus on the economic growth and social inclusion agendas of both organisations.

Both organisations seek to promote opportunity for individuals, business success and economic prosperity. The new strategic alliance will exert a strong influence on learning, skills and employment policy, strive to improve delivery of services that can help people succeed in the labour market, and continue to fight social exclusion across UK society.

The Innovation Code – which allows providers to develop a qualification while delivering the course - is increasing employer engagement in the skills system and helps providers be more responsive to the needs of both employers and learners.